NUPO is another experiential dining approach created by Chef Darren MacLean, owner of Shokunin, a restaurant voted as one of Canada’s Top 50 Restaurants. Chef Darren has made a name for himself since being on the Netflix show The Final Table, and of course, his approach to Japanese food speaks for itself.
I’ve been to Shokunin three times now, so I was excited that NUPO was taking part in the YYC Food & Drink Experience this year. For $65 the menu was intended to be an introduction to omakase sushi – where the sushi chef prepares various dishes based on what is currently available and what excites them at the moment. For the traditional experience, guests sit at the sushi bar and interact with the sushi chef throughout the evening. Unfortunately when I made the reservation, I wasn’t aware that there was a completely different link to click on further down the reservation page – a link specific to this omakase experience that would require pre-payment and would guarantee a seat at the sushi bar. It was only when I got the reminder for the booking that I was notified that I booked for the a la carte seating and not the omakase experience… so, with a phone call I was told they’d still honour the price but I’d have a slightly different experience at a table.
Upon arrival they took our coats (yay!) and we were seated at a small table, squished quite close to the adjacent tables. I really resent how restaurants do that these days. Anyways, service was friendly and even though they explained what we could pick from the a la carte menu for the $65 price, we were both confused. We had to ask for clarifications a couple times but finally made it through. We traded in four sushi for two rolls (perhaps the wrong decision), just to get more bang for the buck (M is tall – he needs lots of food LOL).
We ordered the kimchi squash pancake ($19), made with kimchi fermented kuri squash, soy milk mayo, toasted konbu infused sweet soy glaze, and vegetarian zucchini “bushi” and vinegar maple ponzu dip. I didn’t need the dip – the pancake was very good on its own.
The tempura green chickpea and curry fritter ($14) with a spicy green curry paste, Korean chili crema, local honey, and maldon salt was our fave. I could probably just come to NUPO and order that. If only it was easy to make at home… LOL.
The sake steamed pink scallops hotpot ($19) served with fennel and onions braised in gochujang, butter roast fish bone dashi, and sriracha roullie was quite tasty. I only wished I had a chunk of fresh bread to sop up the broth so that it didn’t go to waste. Don’t expect ‘normal’ looking scallops when you order this dish.
I can’t remember which rolls we ordered but one had the word ‘crunchy’ in it. Nothing was really crunchy – it was more chewy than anything. This was the roll M liked the best. I didn’t love either roll, but perhaps I’m just not used to a more traditional flavour. I gotta say that I love that they use real wasabi at NUPO and the ginger is nice and potent. Honestly though, you don’t need the wasabi or any soy sauce here – the wasabi just overpowers the subtle flavours of the fish and all the rolls and sushi already come dressed as the sushi chef wants you to enjoy them… so why wreck it?
Now, when it comes to the sushi that we chose I can’t remember what was what and I didn’t actually write anything down. There was one sushi that I thought tasted like a barn – literally, like chewed up and pooped out hay (it was one of the two lighter coloured pieces in the photo below). Oh well, it’s all part of the experience!
We only ordered one of the aged sushi options and wished we got more of them. OMG. It was delicious! We both thought it was delightful and although more expensive than all the others, definitely worth the extra moola. You definitely don’t add soy sauce or wasabi to this baby – just put the piece in your mouth and savour it.
Dessert was a mango sorbet with graham crumbs. The fresh, light flavour was delicious, but something in my mind always leads to disappointment when I’m served sorbet as a dessert at a restaurant. To me, it’s too easy… too simple.
Overall, I liked eating here with the discounted price through the YYC Food & Drink Experience. Do I think that one piece of sushi is worth $6-7? Probably not – it’s only one mouthful… but that aged sushi was definitely amazing. If you love Japanese this would be a great special occasion restaurant, especially if you could sit at the sushi bar and have the full omakase experience.
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